How do you keep delay effects in time with the entire song? Most delay plug-ins - even ones included with your recording software, will have built in BPM (Beats Per Measure) meter that can either be synced to the song's overall tempo or you can set the tempo of the delay directly in the plug-in.

The flip side is when you are dealing with analog (sometimes even digital) delay pedals or outboard delay effects. They usually do not have any sort of display that tells you the BPM. The only way to get the delay set properly is to play with the onboard controls or plug in a tap tempo pedal to "tap" in the tempo manually. Sometimes these pedals or outboard effects can provide a better sonic tone than a digital plug-in, BUT you are usually better off using a software plug-in that can be setup to sync to the song tempo.

By keeping delay effects in time with the song's tempo, you will clean up your overall mix. You should take a "less is more" approach to your mixing. To be more precise, I like to stress the importance of making sure your delays are "synced up" to the song's BPM. Depending on what you are using for mixing, most software plug-ins make it extremely easy to set the BPM of a particular delay. Some plug-ins even have the ability to sync to more than just a quarter-note delay. You might try a dotted eighth delay or even a whole note delay to see how it might add to your mix.

However, don't fret about knowing where all the settings are in a particular delay or reverb plug-in. Simply reduce the mix of the effect to let more of the original tone shine through. The instrument/vocal will do most of the work.

Bottom Line: You can use delays on almost every possible instrument. I've used it on vocals and guitars. I've even used it on keyboards and bass guitars! Use your imagination and let it run wild. Then try to "reel it in" and keep the beastly delays from running amuk in your mix.